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“Preg-orexia”: The Hollywood Diet For All Expecting Mothers?
25 Comments | Posted by Sarah in diets
A new study shows that the women of Wales are following the dangerous diets that many celebrity predecessors have patented after childbirth.
The study shows that not only are women crash-dieting and hitting the gyms heavy after their delivery, but toward the end as well. Many of these same women, who are pressured by the likes of Angelina Jolie, Victoria Beckham and other super-slim hot mamas, are using dangerous diuretics during their pregnancy, which can potentially put their skinny asses in the hospital due to pre-term labor and pregnancy complications.
I have a twenty month-old at home. I obviously did the whole conception, pregnancy and labor ordeal. I will freely admit that I (gasp) gained almost seventy pounds during my pregnancy. Unless I was having a seventy pound child, fluids included, there was no excuse for it other than the fact that I hadn’t taken good, healthy care of myself and sat practically for nine months on my ever-growing backside while eating like a fool. I would sometimes eat four or five full meals in one day, and that’s not even including snacking. Pre-pregnancy, my weight was approximately 120-ish. At my largest and in-chargest, I was tipping the scales at around 188 or so. Granted, I lost the weight. I probably lost twenty right off the bat, with the birth of my daughter and fluid loss. Gradually, I lost more through breastfeeding. My weight loss kick kind of stagnated around the time my daughter was twelve months old, but I was doing my best at the time and doing it healthfully.
I’m now (twenty months later) at my pre-pregnancy weight. I’m actually three pounds less than my pre-pregnancy number, which, if you do the math is just about 118 or somewhere around there.
Did I gain a seemingly-inexorable amount of weight during my eating (pregnancy) days? Yes. Did I feel completely disgusting and pitiful afterwards? Another big yes. However, despite my growing bottom-half, I knew that I’d have to grease my elbows and put some good, hard work into losing it. I had wicked fun eating my face off, but it clearly didn’t pay off in the end. Regardless, my health and my child’s health, moreso, was always the number one priority to me and starving myself during pregnancy and after childbirth was neither conducive to my child’s health, nor was it to my food-craving frame of mind.
I never understood the during- and post-baby crash dieting and frankly, anyone who feels otherwise has got some serious issues that need to be addressed prior to conception.
It’s nothing new. My own mother gained 6lbs while pregnant with me and was under 100lbs when she left the hospital wearing her pre-pg jeans. She swears blind that she wasn’t dieting and that she ate like a pig the whole time. When I was pregnant I gained 32lbs, totally textbook and healthy weight gain. Every time I had an appointment she would ask what my weight gain was and every time she’d make snide comments. Every time I told her it was perfectly reasonable and she’d snort and say “well not everyone gains that much weight” like I was being some ridiculous pig. By my 6 week check up I only had 7lbs left to lose, more than reasonable.
As I’ve never pushed a watermelon sized creature with emotions out of my vag, what is it that makes so many woman eat so much while pregnant? is it hormones? or a why have self control I’m pregnant type of thing?
Most woman are just constantly hungry while pregnant. Snacking is important early on for many women, keeping something in your stomach at all times really helps keep morning sickness at bay. It also tends to be the less healthy stuff that helps the most, stuff like crackers and pasta. A lot of women can’t stomach raw produce; I had very little interest in protein. I could eat beans but the very idea of tofu made my stomach flip. You do need a few more calories while pregnant but it’s only about 300 and many women eat more than that which is why they gain extra weight.
But yeah, for some women it’s just a case that they have to gain weight anyway and have a license not to be on a diet for once in their lives. You can spot those women quite easily. They’re the ones eating giant hot fudge sundaes and claiming it’s for the protein and calcium.
hahahahaha
I’ve never been through all that stuff, and I hope to have another 5 years ahead of me before I’m there (I think almost 30 is a good age to have a kid), but anyways, I think I’ll eat just whatever I set my mind to…. as long as you keep eating the healthy and important things, it’s not really a problem to eat also a bunch of crap. ’cause, honestly, being pregnant, giving birth and whatever is a pretty awesome thing, and apparently also something that sort of destroys the body a little bit, so yeah, it’s like treating yourself to something nice, as a reward. I’ll probably get a spa membership as well :-)
after 35 its considered a geriatric pregnancy.
There are also insane cravings. I didn’t gain a lot of weight with my last pregnancy, except for at the end. I had cravings for pancakes that were almost a compulsion. It was weird and powerful.
I really wanted cravings when I was pregnant, but they never came. I remember sitting in front of an ice cream shop in the middle of summer wishing I would crave ice cream, or anything, but I just never did. I felt a little gypped :-)
My first pregnancy I craved ice all the time. I later found out it was because I was mineral deficient.
I was expecting the ice craving with the last one, but it didn’t happen. Turns out I’m healthier at 32 than I was as a skinny little 17 year old…
I’m sure your lack of cravings means you were nutritionally fulfilled. But I’m sorry you felt gypped.
And I can’t figure out what the hell nutritional value pancakes have…
Well, all the pregnancy stuff is a few years away for me, but I’m not going to stress too much about the weight gain.
I think the baby will probably make all the other stuff quite worth it in the end.
I remember seeing on VH1 how heidi klum gave birth to her second or third kid and then working out like she was an athlete preparing for the olimpic games, and eating like she was in a concentration camp, all to get back to figure in -eh- 2 months!! And in 8 weeks she did the victoria secret catwalk
she was pictured as a heroin, which for me she is in many ways (I love her)
but the stress you put your body to is NOT good, plus its not good for the baby!!
Im fully body conscious, and as many women, Im afraid of becoming a whale during pregnancy, but I think you just have to take the risk and focus on what’s important!
Im glad you tell us you’re body gets back to shape naturally. My mother’s didn’t when she gave birth to my little brother, but then, she doesn’t eat healthy at all
I couldn’t stand Hedi Klum’s insane workout routine post baby. I saw how she had her day divided up. No time for baby. I couldn’t even imagine wanting to spend that much time away from my baby in the first weeks of his life.
Just so you don’t look silly in the future– heroin is the drug, heroine is the female hero. :)
thanks hehe
(im not a native)
Well this is kind of off topic but I’ve been looking for time to ask this. Is there a way to avoid stretchmarks during pregnancy? My skin is fair and I get the damn things whenever I gain the smallest amount of weight, so is it inevitable that I’ll look like a zebra by 9 months?
Oh and I’m with Juliana; I’ll definitely be spoiling myself occasionally when I’m pregnant. It’ll be the only time I have an excuse for giving into cravings :)
Lotion! Also, if you can manage to gain the weight slowly, your skin will tear less. There’s nothing that can be done to make your tits get big slowly, so lotion a few times a day. Mustela has one just for stretch marks.
Lotion is definitely the way to go. I highly recommend Palmers Massage Cream for Stretch Marks. In fact, I swear by it!
When I got pregnant, I slathered on Palmers from my bikini line to my neck and halfway around my back 2 times a day (from the first day I found out I was pregnant). My doctor told me that I was guaranteed to have stretch marks because my Mom was covered in them (he is her OB/GYN as well). I kept the faith in the Palmers, and I did not get 1 stretch mark! My sister got pregnant a couple of years later and her doctor told her the same thing- if your mom has them you’re going to get them. She decided not to “waste money” on the cream. She is COVERED in stretch marks.
Good luck! I hope the Palmers works for you.
Stretchmarks are mostly hereditary. It’s the rupture of the collagen deep in the skin that causes it. Not amount of lotion can go this deep. Although, lotion helps with the itching. I’m afraid no lotion, no matter how expensive they are, can truly prevent stretchmarks. You can control your weight gain, as suggested, therefore you’ll give time to your skin to adjust to your new waistline instead of tearing.
Also, be careful on the lotion you use, many of them, like Palmer’s Coca Butter Formula contains caffeine, which combined with sodas and coffee can be a little too much for your little one. I prefer the more natural ones (like Bug and Pickle or Burt’s Bees), but to each their choice!
Wow. I didn’t know Palmer’s had caffeine. Good to know.
Lotion does help, and not just with the itching. I didn’t lotion up in my first pregnancy and got tons of stretch marks. I used it faithfully in my last pregnancy and only got a couple of new ones.
ew, it itches? gross
I loovvvee Burt’s Bees!
My mom is 100 pounds on a tiny 5′1” frame- she didn’t get one stretchmark while pregnant AND she fit back into her pre pregnancy jeans a week after having me. I have a feeling I’m not gonna be so lucky ;) Ah well, I have a few more years before I have to worry about it.
Re the stretchmarks, I have also heard that if you remain well-hydrated you are better off. Sort of like lotion from the inside :)
Very true.
Never been pregnant, never plan on it, and am not the type to gush ‘THINK OF THE CHILDREN.’
But seriously, THINK OF THE CHILDREN. While eating for two is supposedly a myth, I’d still assume the baby would sap a FEW calories.
Never been pregnant, never plan on it, and am not the type to gush ‘THINK OF THE CHILDREN.’
But seriously, THINK OF THE CHILDREN. While eating for two is supposedly a myth, I’d still assume the baby would sap a FEW calories.
BTW I love your blog!